U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 2 (of 5): The Inchon-Seoul OperationMontross, Lynn
History
U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 2 (of 5): The Inchon-Seoul Operation
Montross, Lynn
Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Campaigns; United States. Marine Corps -- History -- Korean War, 1950-1953
This conference did not settle the issue. Colonel Williams, the
Division chief of staff, was requested in a telephone call followed
by a dispatch from the G-1 Section of GHQ to turn over 100 specially
qualified Marines to Ely’s company. Smith sent a dispatch requesting
reconsideration. He cited the battle casualties of the Brigade, which
had not been replaced, and the 500 under-age Marines to be left behind
at Kobe. As a final objection, many of his best qualified men had
already embarked on the LSTs.
General Shepherd sent a dispatch supporting the 1st Marine Division
commander, and the order from GHQ was recalled.[112]
[112] _Ibid._ Colonel Ely actually did embark with his
Special Operations Company and make the approach, but
the landing was called off because of his last-minute
decision that too great a distance had to be covered in
rubber boats.
Another proposal by General Almond to speed up the drive inland from
the beachhead was relayed to General Smith aboard the _Mount McKinley_
on 9 September by Brigadier General Henry I. Hodes, ADC of the 7th
Infantry Division. This was a plan to land a battalion of the 32d
Infantry on GREEN Beach, Wolmi-do, with a mission of racing across
the causeway on the late afternoon of D-day and moving rapidly down
the road to seize the high ground south of Seoul, more than 20 miles
inland. The 1st Marine Division was requested to furnish five tanks in
support of the enterprise tentatively scheduled to take place while two
battalions of Marine artillery were landing on Wolmi-do and two Marine
rifle regiments were landing on the Inchon beaches.
This idea struck Smith as being extremely optimistic. Without
going into the tactical objections, he decided that the scheme was
logistically impracticable.[113]
[113] _Ibid._ It later developed that the 32d Infantry, first
regiment of the 7th Infantry Division ashore, did not
land until D-plus 3.
_Shipping Assigned to Marines_
The embarkation at Kobe was not completed without some confusion.
Much of the equipment was in its original containers and had never
been checked or identified. Large quantities of Class I, III, and V
supplies, distributed throughout the incoming shipping, had to be
reassembled and reassigned for the outloading. In the lack of suitable
storage areas near the piers, Classes III and V were off-loaded into
Japanese barges and held in floating storage until they could be
reloaded into assault shipping.[114]
[114] See Appendix D.
Inter-pier transfer of cargo was avoided whenever possible by berthing
incoming shipping so that units could load directly into assault
shipping. Unfortunately, this could not be done in some instances,
since the LST landing was outside but adjacent to the pier area.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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